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Too Good 115

Officer Chuck Davies watched as Brad Looney walked with Gabrielle to the waiting ambulance. He checked his watch, looked out at the flashing blue lights of their cruisers and the red of the ambulance and said, “Mr. Diaz? Thanks for phoning in the 911 call and assisting Mrs. Gibeon. I’m going to go shut down our squad cars’ lights and be right back, if that’s okay with you, Mr. Gibeon?”

“Certainly,” Adriel replied. “Duvan, Gabrielle told me how you came to her rescue, how she was lying there helpless-”

“Mr. Gibeon? I hate to tell you what to do in your own home but would you keep your thoughts and thanks to yourself for just a little longer? I don’t mean to appear rude but I’d like Mr. Diaz to go over his story again with me before he shares it with you. That helps to prevent accidentally changing his observations.”

“Please, you may call me Duvan.”

“Alright, Duvan. Thanks. Can you two sit quiet while I kill the lights? I know it’s a bit like closing the barn door after the horse is out but we can probably disperse your neighbors faster if we shut the lights out.”

The two friends looked through the doorway and saw four clumps of neighbors congregating around their sidewalk. “We’ll be good, Officer. Could you please tell our neighbors we’re fine?”

“I will and I’ll add that you’d prefer that they go back home and go to bed, Mr. Gibeon; that you’ll fill them in tomorrow?”

“Yes, that would be good.”

They watched Davies walk to first one group of neighbors and then after speaking quietly to them move on to another. They could see him point up at the house and the ambulance where Gabrielle was being examined in the presence of Officer Looney but could not hear his words.

Adriel asked, “Are you okay, Duvan? Would you like some water?”

“Yes, thank you. To both. I am fine and I would love some water.”

“Follow me,” he said, rolling into the kitchen with his wheelchair. “There are glasses to the left of the microwave.”

Duvan pointed to the cabinet and Adriel grunted his assent. Duvan grabbed a glass and started to take it to the sink but Adriel added, “The water from the fridge’s dispenser is filtered and cold and you can add ice if you’d like.”

“Oh, yes. Very nice. You have a lovely home here.”

Adriel smiled in response. “Thanks, Duvan. I know Officer Davies said not to talk about what happened but I just want to thank you for helping Gabrielle. I don’t know what I’d do without here.”

“But of course! What kind of man doesn’t help a woman in distress? I just wish- Oops! Never mind. I will wait until after we talk to poli. I like this one, the other one not so much.”

The final cluster of neighbors were making their way back to their homes when the dark, four door sedan careened down the street and came to a sudden stop in front of the Gibeon’s house. The approach was so dramatic that Officer Davies’ hand actually started toward his gun holster and he did a quick check up the street to see if other dangers were approaching. It was Duvan who lifted the veil of mystery that surrounded the newcomer. “Ah! Mister Finger is here, just as he promised.”